David j



D. J. WILSON. ADJUSTABLE BOO'KSUPPORT.

:No Model.

Patented June 23, 1896.

AN aREw s GRAHAM. PHOTGUTWU WASHIN mun 0.5

UNITED STATES PATENT ADJUSTABLE BOOK-SU PPO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,749, dated June 23, 1896. Application tiled April 2, 1896. Serial Nin-585,882. KNO mdel.)

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that l, DAVID J. VILSON, of Viashington, in the District of Col u inbia,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Book-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

The obj ect oi' my invention is to provide an adjustable booksupport designed to' be screwed upon a desk or table, and more especially intended for use in or by commercial houses, banks, record-orifices, and similar institutions for conveniently holding and manipulating ledgers and other heavy books, whose position the bookkeeper is required to frequently change in making the various en tries and rulings thereon, obvia-ting the necessity of using very high chairs and of -tilting the ledger on the edge of the desk in order to reach the top lines, which movement is very injurious to heavy books,and also ob viatingall moving and sliding of the ledger, as re quired in posting.

To these ends my invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts of the book-support, whereby the book may easily, and without damaging strains, be brought to any required position to suit the convenience of the bookkeeper, as will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the drawings, in whichliigure l is a perspective view 'from the front, and Fig. 2 a perspective View from the back, of the device; and 3, a vertical transverse section. through the center.

In the drawings, A represents a rectangular base-frame of wood or metal or both,in the adjacent edges of whose front and back bars are formed grooves a d, which receive and vform guides for the ends of the sliding base B, which carries the book-holder. To reduce friction between the base B and the fra-ine A., antifriction-rollers may be used, if desired, as shown at a. Upon the base B a circular plate C is fixed, and upon this is mounted, by a central axis or king-bolt b, a turn-table D, which, if desired, may have a roller or ballbearing connection with the subjacent plate C, as shown at On the top part of the turn-table D are rigidly fixed two parallel bars E E, which, as shown, are slightly inclined at their upper edges but may be made horizontal, if desired.

'lo the forward ends of these bars the bookholder F is hinged at c, so that its inclination may be varied from a position flat on the parallel bars E E vto any desired angle of elevation. To sustain this book-holder in its various positions as regards inclination, a pair of pawls G G is rigidly connected to a rockshaft G at their upper ends, which rock-shaft is jou rnaled in bearings in parallel strips il H, fastened to the rear side of the holder. The lower ends of these pawls are received into a series of notches or teeth d, formed in the top of the turn-table, and may be adjusted in the same farther to the front or to the rear, according as it is desired to give to the book-holder a greater or less degree of inclination. To conveniently release these pawls, they are connected by a horizontal cross-bar l, extending out upon each side to near the edge of the book-holder, and at each end is provided a knob or handle i, intended to be caught by the fingers in the process of readjusting the book-holder to the normal position.

The book-holder F is composed of a single board protected by necessary castings or metal stri ps, (not shown,) to prevent warping or splitting,and having langes f jalon g its side edges, and cutaway portions f' f near the lower part of said side edges, which permit convenient grasp of the edges of the book in closing or removing it from the holder. To the lower horizontal edge of the holder is attached an upwardly-proj ecting flan ge @,which prevents the book from sliding ott. This flange is preferably made, as shown, in the form of a hinged strip connected to the lower edge of the book-holder and adapted to be turned down, as indicated in dotted lines, into the plane of the holder F, so that it leaves a smooth and unobstructed surface to permit the holder to be used as a writing-desk or table when not required for holding a book. This flange e or hin ged strip is provided with catches e for holding it in place, and with a sliding rest e2, which, when the hinged strip is turned down, is pulled out to support the same.

lf desired, a spring-catch or looking device may be arranged between the two parts of the turntable, as shown at c2, to lock the parts in any desired position.

1With the invention as thus described it IOO will be seen that a ledgermaybe slid sidewise, or be turned at any angle, or adjusted at any inclination, which greatly eonduees to the Comfort and convenience of bookkeepers and others in banks, reeord-oflices, Commercial houses, and similar institutions.

In defining my invention wi th greater elearness, I would state that I ain aware that it is not new to provide a boolesupport which has a revolving turn-table, and also that it is not new to ad just the inclination of a hook-support by a set of props or paivls en lgragin g teeth on the base, and I make no elaini to these features broadly.

Having' thus described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A boolesupport com prisin g a horizontal frame having parallel guide-grooves or runways in the same, a sliding base moving in the same, a turntable mounted upon. said base, and a book-holder mounted upon the turn-table, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2.. A book-support comprising a horizontal 56eme frame having parallel guide-grooves or ruu- Ways in the same, a sliding,` base moving in the runways, a turn-table mounted upon said base and having notches o1' teeth on its upper side, a booleholder hinged at its front edge to said turn-table, and having,` a pair of proppawls hinged toits upper edge and engaging adj ustably with the notches on the turn-table, substantially as shown and described.

In aboolc-support, the combination o1' a turn-table having horizontal bars E E on its upper surface and notches on each side, a hook-holder hinged to the front ends of these bars,a rock-shaft journaled in bearings at the upper end of the hook-holder and having tivo pand-props extending down to and engaging with the notches in the turn-table, and a Cross-har Connecting the pawls and extended beyond the same and provided with operating-handles, substantially as shown and described.

DAVID J. YILSGN. lV itnesses:

CLARENCE E. SCOTT, Es'rnLLE E. iVILsoN. 

